Opossum I want you to give me an example of you attracting attention to yourself that resulted in a cop god forbid questioning you. All i can see from all your posts is someone who has a personal vendetta against the police for no reason. What have they done to you?

 

Have fun with this one. I'm heading to a trout/camping trip to the mtns until Easter Sunday......Totally off of the grid (whoo-hoo!). See you guys then.

 

tazer - Google Video

Try this the next time you get stopped!

 

That was funny, Seen this one yet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnZb5...eature=related
Time is going by really really really slow!

This one really scares me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnCnq...eature=related

How bout this one
YouTube - Stupid Cop
I bet we have all met or are this guy.

 

I started this thread. I don't hate the police (except for the ones that are on power trips) at all, but I cannot stand being jerked around fo no good reason. I got pulled over in a speed trap that is widely acknowledged, and was nothing but nice to the officer that pulled me over and threw the book at me. I will fight the ticket, and likely get it thrown out. I am a regular guy, I am a good citizen, I help people out as often as I can. I have no problem admiting guilt and taking my lumps if I do something genuinely wrong. I do however have a particular disdain for anything that defies logic or is unjust. I guess the last week has just been bad cop week for me. my crackhead brother stole my air compressor the day after I posted this, and i found where he stashed it and called a friend of mine that is a cop (yep I have a couple friends that are cops...go figure) and they basically said don't bother calling the cops and trying to press charges because it will take forever to get them there and your property will likely be gone before they respond.

bottom line is I am sure there are great cops out there, I just have met only a couple of them. Most of them to my experience are on a huge power trip. my sister in law just spent her weekend taking custody of her friends family because some power tripping cop decided it neccesary to incarcerate the parents of a family of 5 charging them with obstructing justice because they didnt have any information regardin some grafitti at a middle school. come to find out they asked to talk to a lawyer before talking to the cops and the cops decided to arrest them and get child protective services to "place" their children temporarily all over a kid essentially writing on a school wall with a sharpie...heavy handed? I think so.

I know there are good cops and bad cops. I seem to only ever meet the bad ones. I appreciate the good ones just as much as i hate the bad ones.

I don't want to hear all this sniveling about having to serve the public, and be in danger, and all this poor cop BS either. These people were not conscripted. they signed up to be a cop mostly because the job is exciting and adrenaline filled or so they think.

 

well lets hear it opposum,,,when have YOU personally had an issue with the police.

 

There is no "poor cop" trip going on here. Obviously, none of us like personal attacks and when they occur, it is instinct to defend ourselves. Unfortunately, you seem to have had several bad experiences with police. My whole point is that it is genuinely unfair to make sweeping generalizations. That is the same thing as profiling or stereotyping of the general public by the police. I'm not going to re-hash this whole thing. I'll just say that I hope at some point your experiences with police improve. I'm not sure where you are but that is not how law enforcement operates here.

 

The exception has definately become the rule where i live. When I lived up in the mountains in colorado the cops were generally pretty cool, and you would get the occasional jerk. Here in sunny AZ it seems the opposite, especially where the motorcycle cops are concerned. It is really too bad because they just seem to perpetuate the bad rap that cops seem to get. It has gotten nothing but worse in the last few years, seems like it is to the point where you can't even have a logical conversation without the cops getting confrontational and looking for a reason to pull out the taser. We have a bunch of kids (mostly ricers) who hang out at a local burger joint on saturdays and the cop that comes by to flush them out of the parking lot has on several occasions sent the entire line of customers home fearing they may get a loitering ticket for simply being in line for a greasy burger. yeah I have had nothing but bad experiences with cops of late. I hope it gets better too.

 

Question..................What is a speed trap? If the speed limit is 55, 45, 35 (whatever) and you are going faster than the "LIMIT" and you get cought; how is that a trap. The police don't make the speed limits or post the signs. I have never understood this!

 

I do too. No one hates the reputation worse than those of us that don't do anything to earn it. Guilt by association stinks in any circle. Like I've said before, I guess I come from the old school. The ones that have given us that rep are as bad as any they've arrested, if not worse. The thing I try to stress is that there are truly good guys out here doing this job and we're not all like the ones portrayed in the media.

Like I said, I hope any future contacts you have with LE will be more positive. On another note, that situation you had with the stolen property would have been handled much differently here. We'd have taken a report and if we knew where the property was, it would have been seized until the court date and then returned to you afterwards. In a situation like that, we usually clear the case within eight to ten hours easily, assuming we have reliable info as to where the property is.

 

dont be dissin on cops so much. I plan to be one and I know 2 personally that are great among many fine officers (and a couple *********) in outr local county department. I want to be a cop so I can take DUI's off the road, help people get thier stolen crap back, be a first responder to give first aid at a traffic aciddent, help people change thier tires...etc...and occasionally bust a speeder or 2....They dont paid worth a crap...ya think they all do it just for the heck of it?

 

WOW! lot's going on here, I guess I'm compelled to respond.
Before I made the decision to conform to who the police wanted me to be I had long hair and drove a beutiful 67 Camaro. I got 19 tickets in 14 months driving that car.

Holiver31 wants a story, here's one of the funny one's that helps this point.

One day on my way to work a cop started following me. I guess in the 7 or 8 miles he followed he didn't find anything I was doing that was against the law and felt he needed find an excuse before stopping me. When I got to work I parked and he stopped with his car blocking the entrance, and watched me. I knew at that point that I was legally OK so I walked right up to his window and said " You gonna give me a ticket or what". You can imagine at that point he got a little huffy, saying things like "OK you want tickets I'll give you some tickets". Anyway after giving be a bunch of bogus tickets he left.

Three months later I had taken it to court, and having my discovery I knew I was in the clear legally so I subpoenaed the officer to waste his time along with mine. The judge went through his normal routine that he had done thousands of times, then as a part of that routine he started reading out loud the statement the officer had made and submitted with the ticket. This guy didn't even bother to try and fill out the easy 'fill in the blank' form they have. He actually wrote down exactly what had happend. (at least he was honest) When the judge read that I had walked up to the car and said "you gonna give me a ticket or what" he laughed a little bit under his breath and asked me flat out "Did you actually say that". I said yup, and he just broke out laughing, this judge, this old man that had been on the bench for years started laughing in open court, it was hilarious.

Of course when he caught his breath he threw out the case, just great, and well worth it.

Anyway back on topic, before the Camaro, for the three years out of high school I drove a datsun 510. If you don't know what this is look it up. Even though that car being highly modified was only a little slower then the Camaro, it looked passive. And in the three years I spent driving that car all over the country I only got one ticket, going 110MPH down the 101 in California. I didn't drive any differant in either car, I drove fast I don't deny that, I did it for a living. But same driver same town, different car, 1 ticket in 3 years, and 19 tickets in 14 months.

So don't you dare tell me the car doesn't matter, I know better.

After those 19 tickets, even though I had been able to beat most of them in court. I needed to have a licence and be insurable to keep my job, so I sold the car, and cut my hair to minimize the risk.

I have seen both sides of how the same person will be treated by the police based entirely on look and vehicle. Don't deny it, I know full well what "fishing" is, I have been hooked many times.
This I will not deny, in fact I will embrace this as the truth, all except the irrational part.

Correct I do not like being told what to do, no free man should, do you?

And yes I fear any and all authority, it breeds corruption, and creates bullies. It can do nothing else, all the history and study of mankind has proven this again and again.
Police must be held to a higher standard then the rest of us. They/you just have too much power, and to little supervision. We the people put you in this position of power to allow you to serve the public good. And you not only volentered for this responsibility you worked hard to get it. If you want to be just like the rest of us with less responsability, then quit and become one of us. You took it on, now live up to it.

I have said this many times in this thread, so what part of this aren't you able to wrap your brain around?
Are these the comments of a responsable adult, I think not. Lame back handed put downs like this do nothing to further a real conversation. If you feel the need to call me names go ahead it won't hurt me any, but it won't help either, and will only make you look weak.

I knew eventually one of you mental midgets would get around to bringing up the screen name. Opposum is a nick name given me long ago by good friend, I don't use it much but thought it would be fun on this forum. He commented once that I was like an oppossum, I'm nocturnal, usually have dark circles under my eyes, and have been found on the side of the road dead. It just stuck after that amoung that group of friends.

And Ted Nugent, I find nothing about the man I dislike, even being a cop, my comments here are general towards the profession and not the man. Anyway I like the quote, it says alot of what I believe.
John I have said before in this thread that for the most part I think you are a good cop and hope very much that there are many more like you. You have remained very civil, more then I, and addressed most of this thread well, and I thank you for that.

As to the attacking, it is the tool of the political minded, and other athority fiqures to make personal attacks against anyone denouncing or fighting the authority they represent. This is a natuaral defence mechanism of people of this mindset, and it's what is happening here. It is not unusual or even unexpected, but it is wrong, poor logic, poor conversation, and should be pointed out. It is the same as someone who is loosing an arguement just saying "well, your stupid"

That said, IMO you are way out numbered even in this thread, and besides what I wrote above I can't separate you. I think most of those in your profession aren't good men. It may be my experiance, the things I have seen, or just my area, but that's what I think. I said again and again that I don't want it to be that way but it is. And I have asked in many times in many ways, places, and forums for this to change, but it isn't. All I really want from the police community as a hole is an "our bad, we'll do better" I know this is unfair to lay it at the feet of individuals but life isn't fair and that's just how it is.

With all the bad things that police have done I almost never hear a "yep that was bad we are sorry". Take some acountability for your profession, it sucks but there it is.
Do you consider an insult on your profession to be an insult on yourself? If so that's cool, you are your job, and in such a job I would imagine you must be. If so please know that if I could remove you personally from my statements I would, but as I've said before I think your rare in your profession.

As to insinuations, they should only bite if they hold some truth. Nobody should be hurt just by insinuations on an anonymous forum, it's just words man. But the reactions to those words say alot more then the words themselves, at least to me. I find it telling that my words have sparked this much stark opposition from those in your profession.
I really don't think it's a lack of understanding, on either side really. More of a differance of perspective and position. I at least try hard to understand, I will listen and think about anything rational you guys put forth. But that doesn't mean we will ever agree, I think I am right, you think you are, one of us is wrong, that's just how it is. I will try and convince you of my view, and you can try and convince me of yours. This goes back to the attacks, instead of attacking me, attack my facts and postition, prove me wrong with facts and reason of your own, I will listen.

My hatred isn't eternal, I learned it, I can unlearn it. I have said this before, and outlined all that I expect, is that too hard?
I agree this thread is going no where, however it has shown new life. I had put it behind me thinking I was just 'pissing into the wind' but well here I am again.

I don't think I'm at all closed minded, but how is just insulting me or telling me I'm wrong supposed to change my mind. I'm not a fool I won't take these things as fact just cause someone said so.

And as I have said many times before in this thread but it's not sinking in, it's not all cops that I hate, but in my experiance it is most. As I cannot tell you apart until I talk to you I have to stereotype, (yes I stereotype, and so do you) and go with the odds. Chances are the next cop I meet will be a "bad apple"
Sence you are so insistent I will address this. I have told what is probably my worst story(at least the most dangerous and telling) earlier, read my posts again you will find it.

And I told a funny one in this post. But most of my personal stories are just that personal, and I don't think this is a receptive crowd. I will however tell one more easy one about poor police work. I will say though that this says more about the ones in cammand and the justice system then any single officer. I guess this is good as my feelings towards police are general in nature and rarely about one person.

A while back I was in a department store trying to return a defective product. In my attempt to do so the person I was dealing with got a little mad at me and raised her voice. This in turn grabed the attention of a plain clothes security guy who walked over and stood to my right and a little behind me. I noticed him but didn't know who he was. After things went no where I was about to leave and grabbed my stuff. When I did this my jacket lifted up and revealed the butt of my pistol in an IWB holster on my right hip.

So far, so what right, it's all legal, I got a CPL, and this has nothing to do with the police, but.

When that idiot rent a cop saw my pistol he did the absolute most stupid thing he could do, he reached for it. I saw him move and got my right hand on it just before he got both hands on and we wrestled for control of it falling to the ground. My only concern in this was making sure it was safe and cut the s**t out of my hand holding the safety on. As soon as things settled into a stale mate I let go with reasonable confidence nobody would get hurt and things would calm down. As soon as I let go this mental midget did another dumb thing and through it across the room, stupid, just stupid.

Things did calm down, someone had yelled that the police were on the way so I just waited, knowing I had done nothing wrong. The police were there a few seconds later and then all hell broke loose again. I was thrown around, cuffed and thrown in the back of a car. I think the whole department came. Finaly I was asked if i had a permit, which I showed to the officer. Then I saw something that let me know I was boned. I saw the sergeant or lieutenant in charge. She was mean looking and fat, with grey hair in a crew-cut, and so obviously the dike in charge.(thanks affermative action)

I was arrested under investigation of 1st degree assault, even though I was assaulted and had broken no law. Taken to the county jail, which had no working phones that they would let me use. All this on my mothers 60th birthday, I was supposed to meet them for diner. I had no way to tell my family where I was, or if I was even alive. On the second day they called the jail and learned I was there but couldn't get me out because there hadn't been a bail hearing yet. At the end of the third day right before there 72 hours were up they had there fake probable cause hearing, the prosocuter said I drew the gun, and I was givin a $15,000.00 bail. I was just lucky enough at this point that I finally got to a phone that worked, got ahold of a bail bondsmens number and had enough cash on me when I was arrested to make bail.

So far on this adventure I have spent 3 days in jail, tortured my family, paid $1,500 in bail fee that I will never see again, and walked the 20 miles home from the jail. The next day I had to go to another police statiion to get my keys, they didn't send them to the jail with the rest of my stuff. Then to the tow yard to get my truck and pay another $250.

And I have broke no law and been assaulted myself.

About a month or two later it cam time for a formal araignment. At which point they had a retarded temp judge who spends most of her time as a prosocuter. She had no idea how bail worked, gave me a $10,000 bail and sent me off to jail again. When I tried to explain that I had already taken care of $15,000 worth of bail, she didn't understand and said "this is different but if you want 15 then fine" So I spent another day in jail while the bondsman proved to the court how it worked, yes the bondsman had to explain it to the court, and prove I had it taken care of.

So there's another day in jail, and no law broke.

Three months and $3000 in lawyer bills later it's dismissed.

So $5000.00, four days in jail, and coutless hours in a court room I'm done. All because some idiot attacked me, the cops charged me, the prosocuter lied, and the court system is full of idiots.

Am I supposed to trust this system and these people? Why would I? I can't even imagine what would have happend if this hadn't all been on tape, the camera in the store is probably the only reason I am free to type this now.

What about this am I not supposed to hate?
Amen,

I was starting to think I was all alone here, we may not agree completely but close enough is fine by me.
I don't want to start a thing here, but is it not instinct for us to defend ourselves to?
Your right they don't set the limits but the politicians do, and many times they set those limits with revenue in mind. A speed trap is where the limit chages fast with no real reason, either from like 55 to 35 in 50 yards, or 45 to 30 back to 45 with no logic to it, except as a good place to catch drivers "breaking the law" so that they can be fined. It's no different then extortion, and "protection money" schemes by the mob.

WOW, that was long did you read it all?

 

WOW.....got here late, but found this very interesting....Opossum seems to be the self appointed leader of the anti-cop argument. As a cop you would think it would be easy to start in on him, but I think he should receive the same understanding that we expect. Instead of picking the fight with him, I will agree with one thing. Those of us in police work who consider ourselves "good cops" absolutely hate bad cops....I cringe everytime there is a story about some bone headed stunt one of us pulls. THERE ARE "BAD COPS" OUT THERE. We should do verything we can to rid ourselves of this element.
With that being said, there are more good cops out there than bad...Opossums argument just doesn't hold water that all or most are bad. Opossum has a definite anti-government opinion....is it because he is from Seattle? Or is it from his experience? If any of his stories are to be believed, (and why not?) it is from his experience. Those of us who are regular guys and gals, who you couldnt tell what we do for a living when we aren't working, know better...It is better to leave him to his own conspiracy theories.

 

Opoosum, I did read it all and I must say, despite our difference of opinion on the issues, I am impressed. This is a well thought out post and was very civil. I'll only add that, as I've said before, we are not all bad. I do have a better understanding of your position now and if you had posted that information at the beginning, we might have ended this thread long ago. It is nothing short of unfortunate that you were treated that way. I have encountered people with CCW before and have never tried to go for their weapon. That is truly a sign of stupidity and an untrained minimum wage earning rent-a-cop.

That situation should have been handled differently from the outset and even I will state and agree with that. I hope that if you encounter the police again in the near future, it will be a more positive experience. The only other thing I will add is that police officers deal with people every day. Some are cooperative, others are not. Be as cooperative as you can and non-argumentative. This will or should help.

And, I agree with JeffMc202 in that there are bad cops. I despise them as much as you do and they should not be in this business at all nor should they be in any position of authority. Give the rest of us a break though because even though you've had some truly bad experiences, that doesn't mean we're all cut from the same cloth.

 

im with powerstroke on this,,opposum if you would have posted this like 3 pages ago we would have understood why you "hate" cops,,but not all cops are like that,,,the majority of them are good people keeping YOU safe.